Starbucks opens flagship store in Cambodia
The newest store is located in Phnom Penh.
Starbucks Coffee Company opened the doors to its newest flagship store in Asia with Hong Kong Maxim’s Group.
“We are proud to bring an elevated experience to Cambodia with the introduction of our Starbucks Reserve™ coffees,” said Mark Ring, president, Starbucks Asia Pacific.
“Our new flagship store in Phnom Penh’s vibrant Boeung Keng Kang neighborhood will excite Cambodian customers with a unique coffee experience that showcases our deep passion for some of the finest coffees from around the world, while honoring the country’s rich heritage and culture.”
The flagship store features Starbucks core menu in addition to rare small-lot coffees through its exclusive Starbucks Reserve coffee program. For the store opening, baristas are handcrafting two small lot Starbucks Reserve coffees: Colombia La Unión 16 and Papua New Guinea Luoka. Over time, the store will showcase a rich variety of coffees that draw on Starbucks relationships with small lot coffee farmers from the world’s coffee growing regions. All Starbucks Reserve coffee is roasted at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle.
Through its licensed partner Coffee Concepts (Cambodia) Limited, a subsidiary of Hong Kong Maxim’s Group, Starbucks entered the Cambodian market in December 2015 and currently operates two stores at Aeon Mall and the Phnom Penh International Airport.
“We are pleased to further strengthen the partnership between Maxim’s and Starbucks in Asia and look forward to continuing to deliver the unique Starbucks Experience through coffee leadership, high-quality products, exceptional service and engaging baristas in a welcoming environment to customers across Cambodia,” said Michael Wu, Chairman and Managing Director, Hong Kong Maxim’s Group.
The design of the new two-story, 650 square-meter (7,000 square-feet) store features local craftsmanship and iconic global images, including a hand-carved Siren made of Cambodian sandstone, an illustration of Starbucks first store at the Pike Place market on a textured rattan canvas, a coffee landscape inspired tapestry made of fabric tightly woven on a rattan frame, and a metal sculpture hanging over the bar inspired by the coffee aroma.
The centerpiece is a hand-painted mural over the staircase to the second floor, and illustrates the popular Cambodian folklore of Sovann Maccha, the siren princess with a tail that is transformed into two majestic Naga dragons. Illustrated by prominent local urban artists Peap Tarr and Lisa Mam, the artist highlights the distinct beauty and characteristics of urban Khmer art.
